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Old 12-08-2009, 09:19 AM   #1  
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Drum roll please.....

My BMI is 34.97....

So I'm NO LONGER A CANDIDATE FOR WLS

A year ago September I had given up hope and decided that WLS was the ONLY way for me to lose weight-- even though a little voice in my head was telling me that it wasn't the right choice for me. At the time, my BMI was 42.

At the last second, the surgery was postponed due to insurance issues. They weren't happy with my diet history, which was sort of an ad hoc collection of me telling my GP how much I had dieted, which in fact, wasn't much. My previous diet attempts never lasted more than a week or two. I took that as proof that I "couldn't diet." My GP and surgeon were gung ho to have me do the surgery, so I guess I have the insurance company to thank. How odd is that?

My GP told me that since I was morbidly obese I'd never do better than to lose the same ten pounds over and over. Even a weight loss nutritionist suggested that 175 (BMI of 26) was an unreasonable goal and that I was too old and too fat to expect to ever reach onderland (without WLS).

When the surgery was cancelled, I decided not to reschedule.... and in the disappointed aftermath, gained another twenty pounds, peaking out at a BMI of 45.

To be eligible for WLS you have to have a BMI of greater than 40, or greater than 35 with "co-morbidities..." and of course my knees and hips hurt sometimes since I'm in my forties and was morbidly obese for twenty years.

But this morning, I have a BMI of less than 35!!!!

Six months of following a reasonable eating plan, exercising, and listening to the collective wisdom at 3FC was all I needed. And I would have had to change my eating habits with WLS too. I guess I knew deep down all along that it was my head, not my stomach, that needed readjusting. In fact, I'm hardly ever hungry, and when I am, I just eat an on plan snack.

I did not need a smaller stomach. I needed to learn to make better choices.

There may be people for whom it is the right choice, but I'm basically healthy and could get the weight off on my own. That tells me that the risks would not have been worth it in my case.

This is a HAPPY day for me.

I would love to walk into that surgeon's office right now and say LOOK AT ME. I'm kind of appalled in retrospect about how the medical community is not walking the walk. They tell us that WLS should be a last resort, but they treat it more like a first resort. At least the people I dealt with. The surgeon was oh so sympathetic and "understanding" but looking back it just played into my belief that dieting was impossible.

Thanks to my chickies at 3FC I learned differently. Anything is possible!
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:22 AM   #2  
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Congrats! What an accomplishment, that's fantastic. You should go down to the surgeon's office! Flaunt yourself!
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:23 AM   #3  
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Wow, what a wonderful feeling! You aren't too terribly far now from just being "over weight"!

Great job!
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:28 AM   #4  
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That is fantastic! Before posting on 3FC I would have NEVER thought that professionals would outright tell people that they had no hope in losing weight. I'm not sure I even understand how that is possible/true. How can you be too fat to lose weight? Well you are proving it is possible to lose weight and that's awesome!

Last edited by Mikayla; 12-08-2009 at 09:29 AM.
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:31 AM   #5  
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Congrats!!!!
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:34 AM   #6  
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Maybe you should go talk to the doctor and show them what you have lost on your own!

Last edited by lauralyn; 12-08-2009 at 09:34 AM.
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:36 AM   #7  
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Congrats, you rock! I really understand where you're coming from with the WLS issue. For me, I really thought that was the only possible way I could ever lose any weight, even though I never really dieted or tried to adjust my lifestyle. WLS seemed like the ideal solution since I "couldn't" lose weight by myself. In reality it was those darn mental barriers that held me back. Once I overcame some of those the pounds just melted off. I like to joke that I had an "all-natural gastric bypass." Once I cut out the junk foods and began to eat healthy portions my stomach has shrunk, to the point where I cannot overeat without getting horribly ill. Again congrats, its really an inspiration hearing stories like yours and knowing I'm not alone out there with these issues.
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:36 AM   #8  
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Congratulations
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:39 AM   #9  
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You should be quite rightly proud of what you have achieved and know that your goal is possible. I'm a similar age and starting weight and now well below my 170 goal and thinking the previously 'impossible dream' that I can even get to the 150s.

Great news.

Kitty

Last edited by KforKitty; 12-08-2009 at 09:40 AM.
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:42 AM   #10  
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Yahoo! What a victory; congratulations!

Cheers,

J
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:42 AM   #11  
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That is awesome! Yay for the insurance company!!!
I just think it is funny that the insurance company had the right idea, even though it was probably for the wrong reasons (they didn't want to pay for the surgery) and the surgeon/doctor didn't give the right encouragement, also for the wrong reasons (what money do they make if you diet and exercise as opposed to a costly surgery?).

Good stuff!!!
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:43 AM   #12  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ubergirl View Post
My GP told me that since I was morbidly obese I'd never do better than to lose the same ten pounds over and over. Even a weight loss nutritionist suggested that 175 (BMI of 26) was an unreasonable goal and that I was too old and too fat to expect to ever reach onderland (without WLS).
I never spoke to any docs re WLS, I have to tell you, this shocked me, that they told you this. Maybe you should let them know about your progress. Open their eyes to other possibilities for people.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ubergirl View Post
But this morning, I have a BMI of less than 35!!!!
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:45 AM   #13  
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Congratulations in achieving your goal!!! You should be very proud of yourself!! WAY TO GO!!
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Old 12-08-2009, 09:48 AM   #14  
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Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
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Old 12-08-2009, 10:02 AM   #15  
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Way to go. I love it!

Angie
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